Category: Social Security

Social Security survivor benefits present an important source of income for many. But, there are several important and unique issues that must be considered for anyone that has recently lost their spouse or ex-spouse, before filing a claim to collect Social Security benefits.

To help make the analysis easier, check out our flowchart, “Am I Eligible for Social Security Benefits as a Surviving Spouse?” It addresses many common Social Security issues that arise for those who have recently lost their spouse or ex-spouse, including:

Under Social Security, spousal benefits present an important source of income for many individuals. But, there are several important factors and issues that must be considered. Determinations regarding available benefits and timing can be difficult.

To help make the analysis easier, check out our “Am I Eligible for Social Security Benefits as a Spouse?” flowchart. It helps answer the question by looking at these common issues:

Claiming Social Security benefits can be one of the more complicated topics to understand. There are a multitude of rules that can have a significant and lasting impact on your future income stream and overall financial picture.

To help make this analysis easier, check out our flowchart, “Will My Social Security Benefits Be Reduced?” It is based on the Social Security Administration’s retirement benefits information, and addresses common issues including:

Social Security benefits can be confusing if you are divorced. There are several important and unique issues that must be considered before filing a claim to collect Social Security benefits.

To help make the analysis easier, check out our flowchart, “Am I Eligible For Social Security Benefits If I Have Been Divorced?” It addresses these common Social Security issues that arise for those who have experienced a divorce, including:

Social Security provides an important source of guaranteed income for most Americans. Choosing the right claiming strategy is even more important under new Social Security regulations.

For most Americans, Social Security will provide a significant portion of their income in retirement. According to Social Security Administration (SSA) statistics, Social Security benefits account for about 34 percent of retirement income for the average American. One of the biggest mistakes today’s retirees can make is to underestimate the importance of Social Security in their retirement strategies. In an era of vanishing pensions and volatile markets, Social Security offers government-guaranteed income that isn’t vulnerable to market risk, can’t be outlived, and can provide for your loved ones after your death.

By Marc Shaffer

An immediate division of assets is not the only financial consideration that should occur when divorcing. You should also consider the impact of a divorce on your Social Security benefits and the rights of each spouse to those future benefits. Consider some of these questions we typically hear from divorced spouses:

Will Social Security be there when I retire?

We found the following article from Bob Veres to be important content and wanted to share it with you. The question of Social Security being available when you retire is very relevant and worth considering. For conservative planning purposes, we typically suggest that those under age 50 may not want to consider Social Security and those over age 50 should probably plan on it. However, this article suggests that people consider assuming that Social Security will be there for everyone, but at a reduced 75% level. We choose to be more conservative but do welcome second opinions.